Are kids becoming ‘Screen-Addictive’?

Kathmandu: The 21st century is known as the ‘Age of Facts, ‘ the ‘Age of New Statistics, ‘ and the ‘Virtual Age.’ The rapid development of the era, social media, and cell computing devices brings AI into the virtual age. Youngsters born between 2000 and 2023 are frequently called the “screen generation” because they grew up surrounded by generations, smartphones, computer systems, and different virtual devices. Digital screens have become a ubiquitous part of youngsters’ lives.

Nowadays, youngsters are being exposed to screens from an early age. They are found watching TV shows, enjoying video games, using smartphones, or participating in online training. They have been spending the majority of their time in front of monitors, and this trend is most effectively increasing. Youngsters have been choosing screen over recreational activities, education, or socialization. This accelerated screen time has beneficial for getting information quickly. But, its negative impact can be seen in kids’ development, including physical fitness, intellectual health, and cognitive abilities.

Most grandparents are concerned about their grandchildren lacking moral qualities. According to the grandparents, there used to be a respectful bond between the elders and the young generation. There was a time when grandchildren and grandparents used to strengthen their bond with quality time. Grandparents teasing used to be the formula for feeding the babies. But with the development of screen addiction, kids are attached to devices rather than human beings. This has resulted in modern-day children turning less social and interactive. Kids are extraordinarily hooked on displays and gadgets.

Additionally, they create fable surroundings inside the display screen world. They also task the information and perception of records. The days might not be far that children would solely depend on virtual screens for information displacing the doing and learning pedagogy. Grandparents even fear that violent games might turn their grandchildren’s mentality into furious and anxious. Their exposure to crime, nudity, and gambling on the internet might affect their moral character.

This perception from the grandparents might appear like a fear of their grandchildren forgetting their moral values and culture. But, despite the concerns, we cannot omit the fact that the virtual world is establishing itself as a boon for technology entrepreneurs. Also, most youngsters (teenagers) are on the journey of making a prosperous career through the virtual gaming world.

But the exposure of infants and children to the screen seems to be of main concern. According to a study by JAMA Pediatrics, conducted on Jan 30, 2023, children at the age of 9 who are exposed to the screen for two hours a day on average performed worst on attention and executing functions.

On the other hand, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), children aged between 8 and 12 years, in the USA, use screens for 4-6 hours and teens’ screen time lengthens to 9 hours. This indicates children losing their productive period in front of the screen.

Whilst screens have ended up an important part of our lives and have many advantages, which include getting entry to information, schooling, and entertainment, there are worries approximately their effect on children’s development. As an example, extended display screen time has been associated with sleep troubles, weight problems, eye stress, and other health problems. It can additionally affect kids’ social abilities, attention span, and cognitive improvement.

Knowingly and unknowingly screen has become an obligatory part of our life. Although extreme exposure of children to the screen might affect their mental growth. According to Dr. Jennifer Cross, a Child behavioral expert, overexposure to the screen might result in the overall development of a child (under the age of 3) might be detrimental including the ability to observe, experience, and learn from daily activities. This might also result in the development of ‘tunnel vision’ in the child. This might lead the children to difficulty learning new things and communicating.

Likewise, the term “screen generation” reflects the sizeable position that displays play within the lives of today’s kids and the challenges and opportunities that include this new digital era. The foremost troubles with the knowledge of the screen era can range from relying on the individual toddler and their instances, but there are a few common concerns that have been raised.

Here are some of the important problems:

Addiction to monitors: ultimately, excessive screen time can lead to display dependency, wherein children end up overly reliant on displays for leisure, socializing, and other activities that could have terrible outcomes on their intellectual fitness and normal properly-being.

Publicity to irrelevant content: youngsters who use screens unsupervised may be exposed to besides the factor content material, consisting of violence, sex, or different disturbing cloth, which could have terrible effects on their emotional and intellectual properly-being.

Dependency to screens: finally, excessive show time can motivate screen dependency, in which youngsters end up overly reliant on video display units for enjoyment, socializing, and one-of-a-kind activities, which can have negative results on their intellectual fitness and traditional nicely-being.

It’s essential to phrase that now not all youngsters who use screens will enjoy those problems, and that mild use of monitors may have many advantages. But, it is important to show children’s display screen time and make certain that they have a balanced way of life.

To protect the children from such issues, AACAP suggests, the child until 18 months must not be exposed to screens until rather than a short video chat with their parents or relatives. Children between 18-24 months must only watch educational content. The exposure to non-educational content for children between the age of 2 and 5 years old must be limited to one hour. This can be stretched to 3 hours during the weekdays. Parents must indulge children (between 6 and older) in healthy habits and limit their screen activities.

Also, screens must be turned off during the time of meals. Screens must not be used to stop baby tantrums, babysitters, or pacifiers. Children must be free from the screens 30-60 minutes before bedtime.

Hence, it is crucial to word that not all kids who use screens will revel in these problems, and that slight use of displays will have many benefits. But, it is critical to monitor children’s screen time and make sure that they have a balanced way of life that includes lots of opportunities for face-to-face communication, physical pastime, and different healthful sports. It’s all about making children learn to live and cherish the present moment for creating memories in reality rather than finding temporal beauty in the virtual world.